It’s supposed to be a convenient one-hour face lift. But according to consumer testimonials, Lifestyle Lift is a regrettable procedure. One alleged victim decries, “stitches starting popping out of my skin and I went back and they pulled more out. This time it hurt like hell when they pulled on them.” Another warns, “I have never experienced such pain in my life and would never, ever recommend this proceedure to anyone.”
Apparently, Lifestyle Lift wasn’t too happy with the horror stories posted on InfomercialScams.com. So they decided to sue the website without warning. The lawsuit is completely frivilous, and is merely an attempt to supress negative criticism. It is very similar to the Dynatech Corporation (makers of 4X Made Easy & Wizetrade) lawsuit. Even worse, some of their arguments are completely false.
Go here to read the court documents.
Go here to read Lifestyle Lift complaints.
As of 10/10/2007, Video Professor is no longer suing the customers of InfomercialRatings.com. However, they are still pursuing select customers from InfomercialScams.com.
Video Professor claims that certain customers have violated trademark and defamation laws by criticizing their services. Video Professor has logged hundreds of complaints about what many believe is a misleading business model.
What are customers saying about Video Professor?
The common thread is that they sign up for a “free” computer learning CD with the understanding that it costs $6.95 for shipping. Weeks later, they are unknowingly charged upwards of $90 per month until they return the software for a cancellation.
Some testimonials seem to indicate that returning the CDs can be difficult because the return address is not clearly visible on the packaging. Video Professor has a 10-day return policy. Some customers maintain that they have returned the product in time, but still were not granted a refund.
Click this link to see the complete list of website posters that are being sued by Video Professor.
Go here to read one man’s disturbing report about Video Professor.
This was sent to us on 10/10/2007:
“I used to work for a telemarketing company for about a year. During the course of that year I was moved the Spanish speaking Video Professor department. Basically when costumers would call for anything and I mean anything for AOL they would redirect them to us, where we would off them this product. The pitch was that they paid shipping and handling for a 3 Cd’s and they…”
Continued at www.infomercialscams.com
On September 9, 2007, I received a threat letter from Donald E. Morris, Esq. of Dozier Internet Law. Mr. Morris was retained by Direct Buy, the discount membership club. In his letter, D. Morris claimed that I posted “many willfully false and misleading comments” about Direct Buy. After reading D-Mo’s threat letter, I immediately went to look at the ratings for Direct Buy on both Infomercial Scams.com and Infomercial Ratings.com. I noticed that Direct Buy had a low overall consumer rating and hundreds of complaints.
Letters such as the one sent by Dozier Internet Law are typical for companies with abysmal ratings. Interestingly, D-Mo concluded by saying that the letter was copyrighted by the law firm, and that I wasn’t allowed to republish it. I figured this was most likely done to keep me from exposing his ridiculous letter to millions around the world. I instantly sent the letter to Public Citizen (please donate to this wonderful organization), my legal counsel.
Go here and here to see how they handled this issue. Guaranteed to be a classic…
We’ve all seen the Video Professor infomercial with the bald guy touting free computer learning CDs. “Please… try my product…” Well, the Video Professor (who is actually a fake professor) is pissed at anonymous web posters who are critical of his wares. Mr. Professor, whose real name is John W. Scherer, contends that many of the statements appearing on Infomercial Ratings.com and Infomercial Scams.com violate trademark and defamation laws.
Interestingly, a quote from the Professor’s own website reads, “Any company can say good things about its own product, but the real proof of product quality is when customers speak out about its excellence.” Despite these comments, “Vid P” is suing his own customers.
We will stand up to the Professor and assert the right of ALL customers to express their opinions anonymously.
Get full details on this case including court papers, letters from Bettye Harrison (president of VP), and our written response to the Video Professor.
The following was sent to us on 9/5/2007 via Infomercial Scams.com. We don’t make this stuff up:
“Wow! I never thought that losing my wallet would be GOOD luck. Shortly after I placed my order for the GT XPress, I lost my wallet and canceled my credit cards. They hadn’t yet charged my card for the product. I received a letter from the company indicating that my credit card was declined (they had the pre-loss credit card number) and that I should call customer service to update my card information. I tried on several occasions to call the number during regular business hours but never got through. After reading all the comments here about the product being inferior and about the excessive charges, I will most certainly NOT try to revive my order.”
We were eager to post the story to www.infomercialscams.com. But there was no wrongdoing on the part of GT Xpress. We can’t assume that his credit card would have been faudulently charged.
The following was sent to us on 8/21/2007. Interesting stuff…
Your readers may not know it, but Total Gym, Inc was founded by Tom Campanaro and Doug Marino in 1974. Doug Marino gave the product its name. By 1976, Doug had moved on and two other partners came into the business, Larry Westfall and Dale McMurray, who are both still partners and are now semi-retired. Today, Tom Campanaro still runs the business which is now, Engineering Fitness International, Corp. dba efi Sports Medicine. American Telecast Corp and Fitness Quest are licensees of efi for the Total Gym brand.
It probably wouldn’t surprise you, but we have the ability to get ANY infomercial company’s trade secrets. We can acquire everything from sales tactics, phone conversation scripts, revenue reports… We can even locate the paid actors featured in the infomercials. You name it, we can get it fairly easily. The following was anonymously emailed to us:
“i happen to have ALL the directbuy sales, service, and marketing manuals. figured i would ask if you want to buy them. i have them on CD and hard copies. these contain EVERYTHING. just let me know”
The following was recently emailed to us regarding the Total Gym:
Most people do not realize that there are 3 companies and about 20 different models available. They range in price and quality. Each company makes a different level of product. Here are the 3 companies and there websites:
EFI Sports Medicine in CA.
Originally called TotalGym Inc.
Makes the commercial quality units.
www.TotalGym.com
www.efiSportsMedicine.com
American Telecast in PA.
aka: TotalGym Fitness Ltd.
Makes the infomercial units.
www.TotalGymDirect.com
www.AmericanTelecast.com
FitnessQuest in OH.
Makes the small units found in retail stores.
www.FitnessQuest.com
The following infomercials are new:
Green Bags - keeps fruits and vegetables fresh
Probate Profits - wealth system by J.G. Banks
Grill Daddy - barbeque grill cleaner
Samurai Shark - knife sharpener
Awesome Auger - garden tool that drills holes in dirt
Rock ‘N’ Roll Stepper - new leg exerciser by Tony Little
AquaVie - water purification system
Here is what one woman sent to Infomercial Ratings.com in reference to the Tobi Steamer:
REVIEW TITLE: Tobi Steamer does not have a patent - as claimed.
REVIEW TEXT: I did not try this product, but saw the infomercial yesterday & they claim that they have a ‘patent’ on the product. I checked the United states patent office & there is no such patent on file anywhere for this product. Strange….seems like false advertising?
The following was posted on Infomercial Scams.com in defense of Video Professor:
“Video Professor is eager to help our customers with their concerns. Please contact our Executive Customer Assurance Department directly at (800) 500-1183. You will be responded to within one business day. You may also email us by visiting www.letvideoprofessorhelp.com.”
Since the creation of Infomercial Scams.com and Infomercial Ratings.com, similar “customer care” websites have cropped up all over the internet. We can only surmise if our consumer review network is having an effect. From what we can see, Video Professor is a useful program. The problem, according to customer accounts, is with regard to questionable business practices.
We applaud Mr. Andrew Farrar, President of Hands On Toys, for writing in to defend FLOAM. FLOAM is a kid’s toy made of tiny micro beads. The moldable material can be made into shapes. Floam also sticks to other products, which can be used for decoration. You can read Mr. Farrar’s response (dated 7/10/2007) here.
A woman submitted the following in reference to the Leg Magic thigh exerciser:
“I have no idea how I got this item!!! But it arrived and I did not order it.I don’t how that got my cc number which is very scary. Please help if you have any information.”
Proactiv Solution is touted as the “#1 selling acne system in America.” Current endorsers of this product include Vanessa Williams, Puff Daddy, Jessica Simpson, Elle Macphearson, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, and Lindsay Lohan. Well, now you can add tennis star Serena Williams to that list. The actual sum of money agreed upon in exchange for promoting the acne treatment system is unclear. You can probably bet that infomercial giant, Guthy Renker, paid a pretty penny to secure the eight-time Grand Slam singles winner. With a consumer rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, Proactiv Solution seems to live up to the hype.
The following infomercials are new:
Ab Rail - abdominal bench with rail
Ab Rocket - abdominal training device with back rest
X-15 Mosquito Repellent - insect repellent
Worx GT - lawn grooming tool
H2O Steam Mop - mop that uses steam to clean
Roto Duster - motorized household duster
Go Duster - motorized household duster
Brethe Air Revitalizer - machine that omits scented air
True Back - lumbar pain relief device
Buyer beware! Legitimate infomercial products are often poorly replicated by foreign factories and sold under the same name. This practice is illegal, and it compromises the integrity of many infomercial products. It is important to ensure that the merchant you are buying from has a reputable history.
John Beck’s Free & Clear is the first product to reach the 400 complaints mark at Infomercial Scams.com. Free & Clear is one of the most prominent real estate programs. Who will be the first to reach 500?
In the past, customers were limited to writing 300-word reviews or less. Now, consumer testimonials can be submitted without restriction. The team at Infomercial Ratings.com decided that thoroughly written reviews were ultimately more helpful in the decision-making process.
A review was submitted in reference to the Feed the Children charity. The story is interesting to say the least. The review is entitled, “Feed the Children is a Scam”
Here is the unedited review:
“I called this company and they sent me 2 pictures of children, 1 girl from the Dominican Republic and 1 boy from India, that needed to be sponsered. I decided to sponser them both. When I sent the information back with the first payment…” Continued at Infomercial Ratings.com. The review is dated 5/14/2007.
